I think I just got out of jury duty. Also, the city's attempts to liven up the experience.

May 07, 2009

Last semester, I received a summon for jury duty in the mail, which was a little unnerving until I realized that it wasn't addressed to me, and that the responsible student workers in the mail room had accidentally placed the important legal document in the wrong mail slot. Crisis averted.

Okay, well, today I got one for real, which was unnerving until I realized... wait, nope, it's legitimate. Fuck. Except that the questionnaire I had to fill out stated that I had to be a resident of Philadelphia in order to participate; if not, then I was "disqualified" (they make it sound like a bad thing). Here's the thing: I'm technically a Philadelphia resident now, but I'm leaving in a week and will be back in the manure-soaked pastures of Lancaster on June 1, the day I'm supposed to attend. With the details enclosed, the form has been sent back, and hopefully this is the last I'll hear of this.

So, crisis averted again, I hope. On the plus side, my roommate and I got a kick out of city's transparent attempts to make the jury duty experience more appealing:

First they refer to jury duty as an "experience" and a "privilege," and then they try to butter me up by reminding me of all the wonderful "attractions" I can visit during my merry little field trip into the town. I'll excuse them of not knowing that I literally go to Center City at least once a week for my history class, but what seems odd to me is that they try to make the trip to Philly sound like a vacation, when in fact anyone who actually qualifies for this LIVES THERE. Unless they're talking about the county of Philadelphia, which even then is pretty small and only really extends to that stretch of land north of Camden.

I guess "rediscover" is the key word there -- as in, you've already discovered it a long time ago but you might as well make your time spent there enjoyable, because goodness knows jury duty won't be.

This whole thing put a damper on my day, but tomorrow will be better. I'm going to see Star Trek in IMAX, and will then head over to Camden to catch the Killers. YEAH, YEAH, I KNOW, but listen: They're supposed to be a damn good live band and the venue is this outdoor place on the riverfront that has an amazing view of the Philly skyline. And you know what? I actually like some of their songs, so there. This could wind up being a big mistake, or it could be awesome. I'll be sure to give the report tomorrow (or the next day if I'm tired or have better things to do).

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Genj - May 07, 2009 (04:05 PM)
If it's anything like Massachusetts, they'll either try to get you to serve in another district or have you defer until you're back in school (or maybe just recall you in September?). If you can do it over the summer at home, just get it over with. You won't have to go for some years and it's better than having to waste a day during school. I got called when I was taking summer classes last year and it was just one big waste of time.

Halon - May 07, 2009 (06:44 PM)
A few years back I got 25 consecutive weeks of jury duty at 9 in the morning. I said I was a full time student and worked and got out of it relatively easy. 6 months later got another jury duty and delayed it for another 6 months and still haven't gotten another one. Now that I've graduated they'll probably give me a year of it to make up for everything I got out of.

Also I saw 311 in Camden back when it was the most dangerous city in the United States. :)

aschultz - May 07, 2009 (09:56 PM)
I don't mind wasting a day every few years. Just brought a big book I always wanted to read. Very few people have the guts to be flippant during questioning inside the jury room. But actually the time I was on a jury it wasn't terrible.

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	Genj - May 07, 2009 (04:05 PM) If it's anything like Massachusetts, they'll either try to get you to serve in another district or have you defer until you're back in school (or maybe just recall you in September?). If you can do it over the summer at home, just get it over with. You won't have to go for some years and it's better than having to waste a day during school. I got called when I was taking summer classes last year and it was just one big waste of time.
	Halon - May 07, 2009 (06:44 PM) A few years back I got 25 consecutive weeks of jury duty at 9 in the morning. I said I was a full time student and worked and got out of it relatively easy. 6 months later got another jury duty and delayed it for another 6 months and still haven't gotten another one. Now that I've graduated they'll probably give me a year of it to make up for everything I got out of. Also I saw 311 in Camden back when it was the most dangerous city in the United States. :)
	aschultz - May 07, 2009 (09:56 PM) I don't mind wasting a day every few years. Just brought a big book I always wanted to read. Very few people have the guts to be flippant during questioning inside the jury room. But actually the time I was on a jury it wasn't terrible.

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